Well this is rather odd and slightly worrying, it appears GAME are now charging for traditionally ‘free’ pre-order bonuses.
Whilst hunting around for the best place to pre-order Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron I noticed that the standard version of the game is £39.99 but the ‘Exclusive Generation 1 Retro Pack’ is £44.99.
The pack contains a new skin for Optimus Prime and a couple of weapons.
Things get interesting when you study the wording of the GAME website: it does not say the pack is ‘Pre-order DLC’ but describes it as an ‘Exclusive Game Pack’.
I gave the GAME customer helpline a quick call and they confirmed that this is an ‘extra’ pack not a pre-order bonus, hence the higher price.
To confuse matters GAME are using an image from Activision that states the pack is a pre-order bonus and the official Fall Of Cybertron Facebook page are also posting that GAME are offering a the pack as a pre-order bonus rather than an ‘extra’.
We have contacted GAME for clarification, apparently they are a bit busy and will ‘resolve your query within 48 hours’.
By the way, the ‘Exclusive DLC’ is only exclusive until September 11th.
Soild_Nat
Activision + Game = Screwed consumer!
Bilbo_bobbins
Absolute classic really. It just shows that taking over a company that was completely useless is never going to make you money in the long run, unless you give it a complete overhaul from bottom up.
They have not learnt from their mistakes and Game will fall flat on their face again. ha ha
Awayze
GAME were better when they were called Electronic Boutique. My mum uses the EB reward card still lol.
The Lone Steven
I’m not surprised. The other day, i popped into Gamestation and discovered that a preowned copy of Dead Island was £5 more the brand new version! Didn’t they learn when they went tits up the first time? As it doesn’t seem to had an impact on their pricing.
Also, the whole point of preorder bonuses is to get people to preorder a game from you. Start charging for that and kiss goodbye your preorders as well as your profits. What’s next charging for the case and then the instruction manual? I shouldn’t be giving them ideas.
Besides, who will fork out an extra fiver for one skin and a few retextured weapons?
Forrest_01
That doesn’t surprise me about DI as it goes – Likelihood is that the brand new copy was subject to a reduction, which they never bother with on their pre-owned stock (unless it’s a seperate sale).
I often see this kind of thing (as i often pop in for a look around if i’m in the area).
SH Number 7/Mini-Lipscombe
I guess none of you have been in Game for a while, for a new release, they’ve been doing this for a while now, had to turn down the bonus DLC for GR:FS because they were charging extra, and been doing it since before that.
tatoemonkey
I bought dead island from Game in Cardiff a few weeks ago and I actually felt ashamed of myself for going in there and spending money. I hate that place every shop I go in the staff are so smug it really annoys me!
sambadude
SO I’ll take a wild guess, that the people that bought GAME are bigger money grabbing buggers than EA. Why would you charge people an extra £5 for early DLC, when that DLC will most likely be released after 3 months, and for less than that? It’s poor business decisions that screwed GAME in the first place, and it’ll probably be that that does it again if they’re not careful
Shockle
I went to “gamestation” who are more or less game now GAME to collect my pre order on assassins creed 3 on its release date a couple days ago, only to find my pre order was made on the “special” edition which was a game exclusive “pre order” DLC which by the way i never asked for, anyway i told the guy i don’t want to pay an extra £5 making the game £47.99 in all so i would like the standard version.
He then told me if i bought the standard edition i would lose the £5 i paid for the pre order given its not the edition i pre ordered so i may as well have the special edition, (i would of walked out at that point but i had £20 trade in card for gamestation after trading in dishonored with them) i then explained that in fact i did not ask for this edition as gamestation did have this edition on offer when i pre ordered but now they do thanks to GAME, this didn’t apparently matter as “game have the right to change any policy when and if they choose” so said the guy behind the counter, anyway all in the game cost me £47.99 and the “extra” was a completely useless gun (which i couldn’t get until sequence 6 when i had MUCH better weapons unlocked by then).
I am completely outraged by this and i have been shopping at gamestation for some years but now i will NEVER spend my money with them again, it seems as though GAME just went in to gamestation and told them to put everything up by £7 because that is all that’s different in the shop, GAME should be ashamed of themselves for forcing customers to either buy it or lose out.